In general, aluminum framed doors are used at the entrance and exits of commercial retail stores such as grocery stores. A large number of these aluminum frame doors are installed by means of center pivots due to state and local codes which require that emergency egress from a building be accomplished whereby the ingress door must also swing outward for egress from the building. On manually operated doors, this can be accomplished with the use of double-acting door operator closers, whereby the door will swing in as well as out.
On power activated doors (i.e., automatic swinging doors), the direction of swing is controlled automatically in a single (one way) direction of travel. In accord with the Life Safety Code regulations, and with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for power-operated doors, there are specific requirements for egress and emergency egress from a commercial establishment. To meet the criteria prescribed in the codes, the majority of automatic doors (as well as manually-operated doors) must be capable of swinging in both directions. An automatic door must be capable of being pivoted to its panic breakout or emergency egress position with a manual force of not to exceed 50 pounds applied one inch from the edge of the lock style jamb (Ref: ANSI A156.10-1979-11.4). Therefore, an automatic "in" door is operated by automatic means to open into the store, and a panic breakout feature is provided so the door will open manually in the opposite direction to allow egress out of the store through the "in" door.
A major concern to the owners of stores with aluminum frame doors is the constant abuse to the doors in the top and bottom pivots from the impact of shopping carts to these doors. This abuse necessitates significant expense for repairs as well as safety hazards for their customers. When a door is broken and does not operate properly, customer injury can occur because the person entering the store expects the door to open, but instead of opening without resistance, the door is bound or broken, or the door falls to the floor on touch.
Numerous kinds and types of protection for high-traffic aluminum frame doors are now in use. One such type of protection is the use of guard rails. Guide or guard rails are required on the swing side of automatic doors, but guard rails are frequently used on the approach side of doors as a means to protect (to some degree) the doors and door jambs from abuse by shopping carts. The design and placement of guard rails is most critical to allow panic breakaway of the door to 90.degree. from the closed position of the door. When a guard rail is installed to meet the 90.degree. criteria for emergency or panic breakaway, these guard rails provide minimal protection, and in most instances, no protection from direct impact of shopping carts to the doors.
Another type of protection used are cart bars or grill guards. These are commonly attached directly to the approach side of high-traffic aluminum frame doors as a means of door protection. Placement of these types of door protectors are made for the dual purpose of preventing shopping carts from coming in contact with the glass in the doors as well as being an impact device to engage the shopping cart and limit the abuse to the door. Although minimal protection is obtained for the actual door surface, the constant impact of shopping carts against the cart bars or grill guards does jar the door, and causes stress and abuse to the top and bottom pivot as well as to the door itself. In combination with the use of guard rails, the effectiveness of both the guard rail and the cart barrier is greatly diminished.